The world has some contemporary issues which have adverse effects. Most of these factors have developed throughout the years, either through innovations or negligence (Scheinman 41). However, bodies like the United Nations, IMF, and UNICEF among others have been formed to address the different issues being faced all over the world. One of the major contemporary global issues is atomic energy. The paper provides a keen analysis on the challenge of atomic energy and the dangers it possesses.
Background
Atomic energy goes way backs to the Second World War, whereby the Hiroshima and Nagasaki were affected by nuclear material released in the country, and this created a need to address the nuclear issue. Atomic energy can be described as energy that is carried by atoms. Therefore it is clear that atomic energy is the main source of nuclear power. Nuclear power uses the process of nuclear reaction to generate electricity and heat through the process of nuclear fusion.
Even though atomic energy is used in the fight against terrorism by the military, it might be abused leading to nuclear terrorism. Terrorists may use the atomic energy unlawfully and with ill intentions to harm human lives and cause massive destruction of property. In the year 1945, the United States was worried that nuclear weapons would be smuggled in the country, even though they had made sure that the special nuclear material would be hard to acquire (Salame et al. 264). However, it was later discovered that bombs would be made using plutonium, which was readily available and therefore it was hard for them to control the situation.
Terrorism
In the current trend, terrorist groups are seen to donate bombs to be used for war. The possession of these bombs can lead to losses of life and a significant loss of property (Volders, et al. 34). Some of these energies like the radioactive Cobalt are capable of contaminating a thousand kilometer squares of land making the area uninhabitable for many years.
Some of the militant groups that killed people and destroyed property include the al-Qaeda which was led by Osama bin Laden. He argued that it was his religious duty to fight for the rights of the Islamic rights in America. The group had the resources of acquiring and producing nuclear material, and this gave them more power (Weiss 84). Another militant group that is causing a mass destruction is ISIS. However, it has been hard for the group to obtain nuclear material because of the amendment in the act of acquiring nuclear material, but recently; they acquired nuclear material from the University of Mosul illegally. The material can be used to manufacture weapons that can be used for mass destruction. A letter from the International atomic energy agency states that the material seized by the group is of a lower grade and would not pose a security risk (Weiss 77). The group has since poised a lot of threats of nuclear attacks on Europe and UK.
The damages that would come with launching a nuclear weapon in a country are very severe and would affect both the citizens and the economy. Research indicates that if a nuclear weapon would be launched in the United States, the number of people that would die is close to half a million people, and more than a trillion dollar property would be damaged (Weiss 85). The damages would be caused by fires making buildings to collapse.
The question of how the terrorist group acquires the nuclear material to make the weapons should be the main concern. The militants acquire the materials through the black market which they refer to as loose nukes, most of which are operated by dealers in the middle east and Eastern Europe. In a recent report, the FBI has managed to stop the sale of radioactive to the gangs. The groups are also able to acquire the fissile material through theft. When minimal security is experienced in the locations of storing the material, then loopholes are created and the gangs are able to acquire these weapons (Salame et al. 264).
The nuclear war comes with a lot of effects and damages, and recent studies show that if the united states would get into a nuclear war with Russia, then the effects would adversely affect the global community as a whole in the following ways; a catastrophic climate change would be experienced, this is because the temperatures would drop significantly from 12 degrees to 7 degrees (Weiss 79). The smoke and dust released in the air would darken the atmosphere causing a disastrous crop failure and this would lead to famine and drought. Lack of food would result to the death of human beings and animals due to starvation. The effects of the crop not growing would be experienced for many years. If North Korea would release a missile bomb, millions of Americas would die and the fallout would spread throughout the world.
The release of the bombs can cause cancer and severe burns would be left on the survivors. Once the weapons have been released, the radioactive sits in the stratosphere and through cloud movement, they will spread out to the rest of the world, this would lead to mutations in plants, animals, and human beings (Salame et al. 264). The effect of fallout mutation was once experienced in Hiroshima whereby kids were born with shrunken heads and later on showed signs of having tumors.
A lot of partnerships have been created through the International Atomic Energy Agency to promote a safe and secure use of all the atomic energy. The agency has partnered with the United Nation and the two have signed an agreement to promote peace within their midst offering a safeguarded disarmament and conformity in creating safety (Bunn and Matthew 75). Countries have also entered the treaty of nuclear weapon free zone areas, whereby they accept to keep their states away from the atomic energies. Through this, the areas will not be able to have any form of nuclear wars because they lack the materials hence safeguarding their citizens. A good nuclear security needs to be established in the states that have the materials, and illegal transshipment will be prevented. Another way that states have helped in preventing the nuclear is abiding by the CPPNM which creates laws that make it hard for a terrorist to obtain the nuclear materials (Bunn and Matthew 75).
Conclusion
The safety of all human beings in the world is very important and it should be a priority to all the head of states. The effects that are associated with nuclear terrorism are severe and the consequences transcend borders, this means that the nuclear materials need to be guarded for the sake of the global community. All the heads of states should make it their personal obligation to make sure that they have solved any disagreements and indifferences through meaningful and safe methods. Using nuclear materials should the last option even during wars since it is the gravest danger that a state would face.
Work cited
Bunn, Matthew G., et al. "Preventing nuclear terrorism: Continuous improvement or dangerous decline?." (2016).
Salame-Alfie, Adela, and Armin Ansari. "Assessment of National Efforts in Emergency Preparedness for Nuclear Terrorism: Is there a Need for Realignment to Close Remaining Gaps?." Health Physics 114.2 (2018): 261-269.
Scheinman, Lawrence. Atomic energy policy in France under the Fourth Republic. Princeton University Press, 2015.
Volders, Brecht, and Tom Sauer, eds. Nuclear Terrorism: Countering the Threat. Routledge, 2016.
Weiss, Leonard. "On fear and nuclear terrorism." Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 71.2 (2015): 75-87.
